Little Old Bag

Farago made small scale replicas of her handbags, which were each be housed in a separate room of The Doll’s House: A Miniature Gallery, Preston. A constant in all the rooms is a mini replica of a kitchen chair which each handbag hung from, sit on, or lean against.

Each room represents the period of time during which each handbag was Farago’s constant companion. “Each handbag symbolises for me a particular phase and all of my baggage for that time. Memories come flooding back from the period when a bag was used – which house I lived in, which stage of my love life I was at, what clothes I was wearing, where I took the bag on holidays, the job I had, cafés I frequented, and what artwork I produced at that time.”

There are four mini handbags. Each one very different from the other. There is a brown satchel, rather sad and confused looking, which represents a period of transition. The bright green bag represents a new phase – a fresh and punchy time. The little red old bag was a gift, bought at a fundraising auction, it is happy, cheery and optimistic. A new love. The denim bag with Japanese fabric was purchased in Japan during a time of travel. It also represents a lifestyle shift.